Needle.



J. A. LIND.

NEEDLE. APPLICATION FILED FBB.29, 1912. 1,056,187. 7 Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

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NEEDLE.

specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Mar. 318, Edi-3.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that LJAMns A. LIND, citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode island, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Needles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved method of forming an easy threading sewing machine needle, and has for its object to provide a simple and practical method as an improvement on my patent application Serial No. 628,75 whereby the present construction. of needle may be formed of one integrul piece of wire by reducing a portion of the body of the wire, forming a transverse slot in the body portion a short distance inward from the reduced portion for the eye of the needle, also forming a longitudinal groove in the body portion whose length,

width and depth is substantially that of said reduced portion, the depth of said groove at the point between the eye and reduced portion being approximately that of, or a little greater than, the diameter of the corr sponding part of the reduced portion. Said reduced portion is then folded back upon the body portion into said groove, forming a flexible arm integral with the end of the body, the stock at the fold or bend is then drawn out into a needle point and at the same time the walls of the deepened groove below the eye are folded, bent or'swaged over and around said correspondingly reduced portion at that point, thereb gripping, binding and holding the slen er arni firmly in position below the eye of the needle.

Another feature of the invention is that by laying the resilient arm under a slight spring tension in a groove across the eye the thread is permitted to be readily drawn into the eye of the needle, but positively prevented from being withdrawn through the same channel.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

0f the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 shows a straight piece of wire from which the needle is constructed. 2- shows the first operation which reduces the end portion of the wire. Fig. 3- shows a transverse slot through the body near the reduced portion thereof. Fig. 1- shows a longitudinal groove the depth of said groove at the point between the eye and t e reduced portion being substantially that or little greater than thediameter of the re duced portion at a corresponding point. Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. ishowing the longitudinal groove in which the flexible arm lies when depressed or locked in operative position. Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal sectional View showing the eye slot and the longitudinal groove with its deepened portion between the eye and the reduced portion, also showing the short flattened portion which forms the thread retaining shoulder in the eye. Fig. 7-- is an enlarged section on line 7--7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 shows the reduced portion as having been bent back into the groove of the body portion. Fig. 9- is an enlarged section on line 99 of Fig. 8 showing the reduced portion as lying in the deepened part of the groove. Fig. 10- shows thereduced portion at the fold as having been drawn out into a point. Fig. l1 is an enlarged section on line 1111 of Fig. 10 showing the side walls of the deepened groove as having been bent or swaged over and around the correspondingpart of the reduced portion. Fig. 12 is an enlarged section on line 1212 of Fig. 10. Fig. 13 illustrates our improved needle in finished condition.

Referring to the drawing, 20 designates a plain piece of wire from which the needle is formed, a portion of the body of said wire being reduced at 21 forming a tapering shoulder 22. The second operation is to mill or swage the transverse slot 23 a short dis tance inward from the shoulder 22 for the eye of the needle. The walls at each side of this slot are undercut and nicely rounded at 36 and 37 to receive the thread. A. longitudinal groove 24- is formed in the body preferably by milling. the same being of a length, width and depth sufficient to receive the reduced portion 21 when bent back upon the body. An essential feature of my presend or out invention is that this groove below the eye at the point 25 is preferably formed a little deeper, usually by milling or swaging, than the diameter of the correspondin part of the reduced portion. In other word s, this portion of the groove should be formed of a depth suliicient to receive the corresponding part of the reduced portion so that the edges of its walls when closed over said portion may be made to substantially meet to bind and hold the same in position.

After forming the groove 24 and the slot 23 a broad faced cutter is used for removing the sharp corners 27 and 28 on either edge of said slot to prevent these corners from engaging the fabric as the needle passes therethrough in sewing, the removal of the corners 27 also facilitate the passing of the thread into the eye of the needle. The next operation is to bend this reduced portion substantially at a just below the shoulder 22 and lay the same into the groove at 24 and 25 back upon the body portion see Fig. 8, torming a thin flexible arm or reduced portion 21.

The stock at the fold or bend 29 is drawn out preferably by a swaging process, into a point tapering back substantially to the eye, at the same time this swaging process binds, draws, turns, or folds the wall edges or lips 30 and 31 of the groove, at the point 25, over that part of the reduced portion which lies between them, securely binding and holding that portion between the eye and the point firmly tothe body portionof the needle, materially supporting the flexible arm portion making the needle very strong adjacent the point rendering it impossible tor the parts to separate there. The balance of this flexible arm lies in the groove 2st where it is nicely protected throughout its length "from lateral strains, and its upper end 32 is turned slightly outward to facilitate passing the thread in back of the arm in threading the needle. its will be seen in 10 and 12 the way to thread the needle is to pass the bight or the thread over the end of this flexible arm and slide the same down until nearly to the eye where a slight pull on the thread overcomes the spring of the arm and the thread passes into the eye of the needle ll hcn the thread is straightened. out as it is in sewing the end walls 363( on either side 1 oi? the groove 24: serve in conjunction with the spring arm to loclr the thread into the eye and effectively prevent its withdrawal tltirough the enteri' channel.

Grooves 88 ar wormed lengthwise oi the body portion on o which thread n c is passing through the work and a suitable collar 34 Way be provided, if desired, on the body be down over the tree e arm to retain the same firmly in the longitudinal groove, but the use of a collar for this purpose is not necessary with a needle of my present construction.

lt is found in practice that in order to facilitate the forming of the needle it is found desirable to employ a Wire whose diameter is substantially that required for the body portion of the needle so as to minimize the drawing or reducing operation in which case the shank ofthe needle is naturally smaller than the standard size, and must be enlarged. This process of enlarging the shank is fully described in the above-mentioned patent application, but this invention is not restricted to forming the enlarged shank portion 35 of a separate piece of metal wrapped around a shank of smaller size, as the stock may be of this diameter originally and drawn down successively to the different diameters required, if desired.

1 have shown and described the needle as being formed with a groove into which the flexible arm is adapted to lie throughout its length, but I do not wish to be restricted to this particular construction as in some cases the groove may not be employed. 1 have also shown and described a deepened groove as at 25 below the eye into which the corresponding portion of the reduced flexible arm is laid when the same is bent back upon the body of the needle and have described the walls of the groove at this point as being turned and swaged over this portion of the arm for retaining the same permanently in position, but ll do not wish to be restricted to this particular means of fastening this arm as any suitable means may be employed for fastening or securing the arm to the body portion at this point near the bend without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

ll claim:

1. An improved method 01 forming a needle which consists in folding a wire lengthwise upon itself, drawing out the stock at the bond into a point, forming an eye in the stock near the point, and bending a portion of the stock of one part over that ot the other to bind said parts together between the eye and the point.

An improved method oi forming a needle which consists in reducing the wire below the body portion thereof, forming a longitudinal groove in said body portion, forming a transverse slot in said body portion for the eye near the reduced portion, 'tolding said reduced portion over and back upon the body into said groove, pointing the stoclt at the bend and tolding the walls of j the groove between the point and eye over said reduced portion.

An improved method of forming a needle which consists in reducing the wire below the body portion thereof, forming a longitudinal groove in said body portion of point and the eyes over said reduced porn length and size sufficient to receive said reduced portion, forinlng a transverse slot for the eye near the beginning of the re- 1 duced portion, folding said reduced portion l over and back upon the body into said groove, pointing the stock at the bend, and

folding the Walls of the groove between the tion.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' JAMES A. LIND. Witnesses HOWARD E. BAnLow, E. I. OGDEN. 

